


Brick by Boring Brick

by monokurosora



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Modern AU, Multi, Slow Burn, gabe and amelie brotp is true wlw/mlm solidarity, i want to have most everybody show up at least once but no guarantees, idk when jack is even gonna show up but he'll get there eventually, restaurant AU, the long been sitting in my drafts untouched but im finally dusting off and working on again au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 09:55:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14517960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monokurosora/pseuds/monokurosora
Summary: "Gabriel had only really started cooking lessons to have something that would get him re-adjusted to civilian life, a chance for him to teach himself some kind of life skill while also interacting with actual, living people on a regular basis. And, not that he would ever in a million years admit to it, it was maybe to help a man with no idea on where or who he was meant to be take some steps to finally figure it out for himself. Gabriel had never expected to like the content of his lessons, nor had he expected to take that subject any further than local classes, but somehow he found himself going further and further in his studies until he’d made his way through all of culinary school."





	Brick by Boring Brick

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jellycho (Nyxokal)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyxokal/gifts).



> hey y'all, i've been a part of this fandom for, god, two-ish years now and written a bunch of fanfic for it but nothing that i felt was worthy of posting anywhere on the internet until this (although lol now that i'm writing this i don't feel like i should post it either but it's happening anyways yeehaw.) it's been so long since i posted fic in general, but i hope y'all like this. thanks for reading! :-)

“This is it,” Gabriel said, glancing to Amelie as the two rounded the corner of the city block, stopping in front of a multi-storied building slightly obscured from the public view. “This is the place I want.”

Amelie crossed her arms in front of her, giving the building in front of them a thorough once-over before speaking.

“Gabriel,” Amelie said, pushing down her glasses to look at him directly, “you are aware this place is falling to pieces, right?”

The subject of their conversation quietly watched on above them in the late morning light: a three story, brown and red brick structure that had seen better days nestled in between several sets of taller, more modern apartment complexes on the street, appearing long forgotten by the general public except for those who were looking to be forgotten. Graffiti covered both the outer and inner walls of the small bricked-in courtyard surrounding the place and what at one time may have been an outdoor eating area. Multiple of the upper story windows were shattered, and untamed ivy crawled its way up the sides of the inner courtyard walls. 

“It’ll look better than ever by the time I’m done with it,” Gabriel promised. “You’ve seen the plans I’ve drawn up for my place, Amelie; you know I know exactly what I’m getting into and what I have to do.”

“I hope you’re not planning on trying to fix this place up on your own, especially not the crumbling infrastructure,” she said. “It’d almost cost you less to tear the place down and rebuild what you want on top of it.”

“And lose all this place’s character and charm? Absolutely not,” Gabriel said, frowning. “Just help me out here, okay? See if we can get the lease on this place or even outright buy it. This is the place I’ve always wanted, and nothing else’s ever gonna compare to it. There’s not a single building in this town that I’d rather set up shop in than here.”

Amelie sighed, a hand grasping her temples as the other propped her elbow. 

“Fine. Fine! I’ll look into it.” She dug into her bag, pulling out her phone and making a few quick notes. “As your realtor, that’s more than easy enough to do. As your friend, however, I sure hope you know what you’re doing. This won’t be cheap, nor will it be easy.”

“I’ve never expected it to be,” Gabriel said, looking to Amelie, “but I can and I will make it work.”

“You always have, somehow,” Amelie conceded. She glanced to her phone, and then back to Gabriel. “I have places to be in a few hours, but since we’re out, how does lunch sound?”

“You always know the way to my heart,” Gabriel smiled, and the two headed off down the street. 

 

Many well known chefs and other notable figures in the cooking world cite their passions for the subject of their careers blossoming from their childhood experiences of big family gatherings where food took center stage, and of the recipes that were passed down through the family from one generation to the next. Gabriel’s family dinners had been scarce to non-existent, even during the holidays, and never once had they contained any relatives beyond his parents and himself. And if his mother had any kind of family recipes stored away in the little townhome she was living out her retirement in, they would most certainly never make their way into his hands.

When Gabriel was younger, the thought of cooking for others as a profession had never once crossed his mind. From early childhood his parents and peers had assumed he’d follow in his father’s footsteps and become a soldier, rise up the ranks until he was a well-respected commander, and Gabriel had never let himself develop any deep interests in anything because of it. He’d assumed he’d enlist after high school and serve out the majority of his life as a member of the armed forces, make a new home there to replace his previous one, and become someone others looked up to. His childhood expectations were cut short when he was unwillingly discharged from the Air Force after he returned from his first deployment, with nothing to show for it except the small scars littering his face.

He’d only really started cooking lessons to have something that would get him re-adjusted to civilian life, a chance for him to teach himself some kind of life skill while also interacting with actual, living people on a regular basis. And, not that he would ever in a million years admit to it, it was maybe to help a man with no idea on where or who he was meant to be take some steps to finally figure it out for himself. Gabriel had never expected to like the content of his lessons, nor had he expected to take that subject any further than local classes, but somehow he found himself going further and further in his studies until he’d made his way through all of culinary school.

Being certified to prepare meals for others took him through several jobs at different restaurants spread throughout his home of Los Angeles and, after almost ten long, grueling years of obtaining enough actual work experience and funds for his future endeavors, he decided it was the time to make his mark out in a place far from where he’d once called home. Searching for a place that was physically far away from his long-time home, but with a similar feel that wouldn’t leave him in complete culture shock, Gabriel packed up his belongings and moved his entire life to Austin.

This was where Gabriel found himself in his life when at approximately six AM the next morning, he was rudely awakened by the sound of his phone blaring the theme to Swan Lake, signalling a call from Amelie. He groaned, rolling out of bed and fussing with his phone until the call connected.

“‘Ello?” he said, voice still groggy with sleep.

“ _Good morning to you, too,_ ” Amelie’s voice rang clearly through the line, and Gabriel yawned, moving throughout his apartment as he began his morning routine slightly earlier than usual. “ _I found all the property information on that place you wanted. Seems like nobody’s been in it for a while, as the last records I’ve found are for a pub back in ‘83._ ”

“When’d it close?” Gabriel asked, rifling through his kitchen cabinets as he searched for the bag of coffee grounds in the semi-dark. 

“ _Something like ten years ago. It’s been a while. Apparently the place wasn’t in great shape even back then._ ”

“Then we’ll have to make it even better,” Gabriel said as he fussed over the coffee machine, getting it set up to actually do its job.

“ _You could turn on the lights, you know,_ ” Amelie said, a slight laugh in her tone, and Gabriel frowned, setting his phone down and putting it on speaker.

“Listen, it’s six AM. I am not turning the lights on. It’s still too damn early.”

“ _And yet you’re brewing coffee._ ”

“Well, you’re the one who woke me up. Might as well get up entirely.”

“ _You are the most_ peculiar _man, Gabriel Reyes._ ”

“Isn’t that why you like me so much?”

“ _I suppose,_ ” Amelie said, giving a soft chuckle. “ _Anyhow, the place appears to have an open lease. I’m going to get in touch with the landlords as soon as possible, to make sure it’s not taken. Though I doubt it would be. The place isn’t good for much of anything as it stands now._ ”

“Hey! Don’t talk about my baby that way,” Gabriel said, and Amelie let out a sharp laugh.

“ _Alright, fine. I’ll get in touch with you again when I am able to reach the property owners. Maybe I can arrange for a peek inside, just so you can be certain that it’s really what you want._ ”

“Amelie, you know me. I’ve wanted that building for at least five years now, and I’m not about to just change my mind.”

“ _I am more than aware of your bullheadedness, yes. I will hopefully be in touch later today. Adieu, cher._ ”

“See you,” Gabriel said, and the line went silent. 

The coffee machine beeped angrily as Gabriel fetched a mug from the cabinet, grumbling about what the machine could do to itself as he fixed himself a mug just how he liked it: super sweet and creamy, enough to completely remove the base coffee’s bitter taste. Drink ready, Gabriel left his kitchen and stepped out onto the tiny balcony his apartment had, settling into the chair that he had placed out here some odd time ago for this exact purpose. From his vantage point, it was fairly easy to see all the way to the lake, and it seemed that the city was already beginning to wake for another day if the bird calls and increasing number of apartments with lights on were anything to judge by. 

Bird calls were soon drowned out by the ever-growing noise of morning traffic as people hurried to and fro to make their morning commutes on time. As Gabriel sat outside watching the world around him, the sky above shifted from the inky blackness of night to the pinks and purples and oranges of sunrise, and then finally to the light blue of day. Finally noticing that his mug had been emptied some time ago and that the temperature outside was already warming up a fair amount, Gabriel retreated inside to the air conditioned paradise of his apartment.

Since it was his day off and Amelie’s unexpected early morning call had left him with more time than usual, Gabriel busied himself with tasks he’d long been putting off: dealing with the small mountain of dishes in the sink, the sea of take out containers strewn about the kitchen and living room, the clothes encroaching on areas of his living space that weren’t the closet or the washing machine, and the jenga tower of mail on the front table that looked dangerously close to toppling over at any moment. He was just finishing on the final stack of mail when his phone lit up, Amelie’s signature ringtone playing through the speakers. 

“Hey there,” Gabriel said as he picked up. “What’d you find out?”

“ _How fast can you get down to the building’s property?_ ”

“I -- uh, I don’t know, maybe twenty minutes? I’m not even dressed right now.”

“ _You might want to hurry up then,_ ” Amelie said. “ _When I called the building owners they told me to meet them at 11.30 with whoever was interested in the property._ ”

“Well, why didn’t you call me earlier?” Gabriel frowned, heading into his bedroom and putting the phone on speaker before setting it on his dresser. He began to rifle through his closet to find something suitable for the day’s activities as the two continued their conversation.

“ _I literally placed my call to the owners_ ten minutes _ago,_ ” Amelie huffed. “ _Give a girl a break, Gabe. You really think I wouldn’t’ve called earlier?_ ”

“Maybe, if you wanted to screw with me.”

“ _Have a little faith, cher,_ ” Amelie laughed. “ _By the way, maybe wear something you won’t mind getting a little dusty. That gray suit of yours would work well._ ”

“I wasn’t planning on showing up _that_ fancy,” Gabriel said, pulling said suit out of the closet and giving it a moment’s thought before putting it back.

“ _Please show up in something more appropriate than a_ Phantom of the Opera _tour shirt and ripped jeans,_ ” Amelie said, and it was Gabriel’s turn to laugh.

“That was _one_ time,” he said, remembering when Amelie had invited him as her plus one to what had turned out to be a corporate New Year’s party. He had shown up in the outfit he’d been wearing all day without a second thought, a torn and faded  Phantom of the Opera tour shirt and threadbare jeans tucked into dark brown boots, and had ended up being the only person in attendance who hadn’t gotten the memo that the event was business casual. “In my defense, you didn’t really say what the dress code of that thing was. Now that I think about it, you didn’t really give me any details of that party, other than ‘ _hey there’s free booze._ ’ How was I supposed to know that your whole office was gonna be there?”

“ _I had literally said the day before that you were to not show up in just a--_ ” Amelie let out an audible sigh, and Gabriel could picture her rubbing at her temples in frustration. “ _Never mind, it no longer matters. Please just hurry up and meet me at the site. They’re supposed to be here in ten minutes._ ”

“I’m trying my best here,” Gabriel said, “but considering I haven’t even showered and I’m gonna have to call an Uber--”

“ _I put in the order for one the moment we started this call,_ ” Amelie said. “ _Just get dressed and get down to the lobby as quick as you can._ ”

“You’re a peach, Amelie,” Gabriel said, buttoning up his selected shirt and tucking it into his non-ripped jeans. “I’ll see you real soon.”

Gabriel ended the call and, after making sure he had his necessary belongings on his person, grabbed his shoes, tugging them on as he left his apartment. He dashed down the hall, slipped into the elevator right as it was closing, and pressed for the ground floor, waiting for the elevator to reach its destination as soft cheesy music drifted through the small space. 

The elevator pinged for the ground floor and Gabriel was gone, moving across the parking lot towards the entrance to the garage, where a small compact car with the telltale black sticker sat waiting. 

“You Gabriel?” the driver, a young gal with a British accent and a bright smile, asked as Gabriel climbed into the backseat.

“You know it,” he said, and the two were off. Gabriel could’ve sworn that the driver knew how much of a hurry he was in to reach his destination, because she swerved through traffic and maybe pulled one or two not-so-legal moves to get Gabe to his destination in the fastest amount of time he’d ever seen.

“We’re here!” she sing-songed as Gabriel climbed out with an appreciative, “Thanks a bunch,” and she was gone as soon as he’d shut the door.

A bit winded by the energy of the driver, his amazement was soon pushed to the back of his mind as he noticed Amelie walking up the street to meet him, dressed to the nines as usual in a dark black suit and deep violet dress shirt, hair expertly weaved into a French braid that had nary a single strand out of place.

“So you _can_ put together a decent ensemble,” she said as she reached him, a mild smile gracing her features as she adjusted her glasses. 

“Only sometimes,” he joked, and Amelie sighed, leaning against the wall of the property. 

“The owners of this place should be here any minute,” she said, “as I hardly think with such a quick endorsement to look inside would they dare be late to meet us.”

The two stood waiting for a couple minutes before a tiny blue car pulled up along the side of the street and parked right in front of the building. The passenger’s side door opened and out stepped a fairly tall man with a wide torso, dressed in a blue plaid button-up and blue jeans. A tan cowboy hat sat upon his head, and his shoes were dark brown leather cowboy boots, spurs and all. Around his waist was the most outrageous belt buckle Gabriel had ever laid eyes on: a large, curved bronze rectangle depicting a cowboy on a bucking stallion, one hand gripping the reins while the other swung a lasso. He smiled at the two and tipped his hat generously in their direction.

“Well, howdy y’all!” he said, and Amelie stepped towards the man who looked like he’d been transported directly from a spaghetti western, offering an outstretched hand.

“Mr. Cassidy,” she said as he took her offered greeting, “it’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I’m Amelie Lacroix, and this here is Gabriel Reyes, the man interested in your property.”

Gabriel gave a wave of hello as Mr. Cassidy reached out and pulled his hand into a very firm, enthusiastic handshake.

“Well, how do ya do, Mr. Reyes! I’m Butch Cassidy, and it’s a real pleasure to finally meet y’all in person. As I remember, Ms. Lacroix here was in a right hurry to get the details worked out on this fine property here. I said, ‘that’s all fine and good, but are y’all sure you want this piece in particular? It ain’t seen good days for a long while...’ But she kept insistin’ that no other place I had would do, and here we are! So, shall we take a peek inside, see how this place is holdin’ up and whether the status of the interior’ll inflict any change upon yer state of mind?”

“Lead the way, Mr. Cassidy,” Amelie said, gesturing to the front door of the building. 

Butch pulled out an impressive set of keys from the confines of his jeans pockets, going over to the door and checking a few of the keys in the lock, as if he couldn’t quite remember which key belonged to the door. As he tested keys, Gabriel fell back to stand with Amelie.

“So the property owner’s a bona fide cowboy,” he said, and Amelie shrugged.

“I’ve seen weirder,” she said, and Gabriel stared at her.

“You know I’m gonna need details on that, because this is about the weirdest thing I’ve had happen to me all day. Do you think he legally changed his name to Butch Cassidy or he was born with it?”

“I can’t bet upon whether my partners legally changed their names to align with those of fictional characters, Gabriel. That’s unprofessional.” As she spoke, Amelie pulled out her phone and fiddled with it for several moments before tucking it back into her purse. Almost as soon as she’d tucked it away Gabriel’s phone buzzed, and he gave her a curious look as he dug his phone out, glancing over his received message.

_Best guess: Cassidy was a family name and he legally changed it to Butch later._ \--Amelie, 11.42 AM

Gabriel stifled the urge to laugh, and Butch finally found the right key on his ring that unlocked the door. He pushed the heavy wooden door open and allowed both Gabriel and Amelie to enter before stepping inside himself.

“This ol' gal sits at three stories, with a rooftop greenhouse and the courtyard outside. There's a full, if not a lil’ outdated, kitchen in the back, and upstairs can either be used as storage, a break room, or even a small apartment, since it's got a fully stocked kitchen and bathroom up there. Or at least, it did last time I was up there.”

The main room that the three stood in was barren of furniture save for a bar counter and wooden stools that had been installed directly into the floor on the far end of the room. The windows were covered in a layer of dust so thick the outside world could only be discerned as shadowy blobs, and some long-abandoned beer cans and bottles were scattered about the floor, clumping together near one of the corners of the room.

“Go ahead an’ take a look around as long as ya like,” Butch said. “I cleared my whole afternoon for this meetin’ of ours here so you’d have the time to really look ‘er over for yourself. I want ya to be one hundred percent certain that this is what yer lookin’ for before I go get us all the paperwork we need from my car outside.”

“Thank you, Mr. Cassidy,” Amelie said, giving a professional smile. “We appreciate all the efforts you’ve put in for us.”

Gabriel walked the perimeter of the front room they’d come into, and then the connecting room to the right and the kitchen in the back, murmuring to himself as he stopped at seemingly random times to take note of something that he’d spotted in the area. He pulled out his phone, opening up a notes app and beginning a list, adding a seemingly endless number of new lines of text as he inspected the floors, the walls, the ceiling. Gabriel inspected each and every appliance in every room and any other lighting or furniture that existed. Amelie trailed after him as he did so, watching him take in all the details he could of the place he’d become so fond of.

Finally, Gabriel returned to the front room and climbed slowly up the stairs, inspecting each one as he went. Fully standing on the second floor, he stared at the wide, open space of what could essentially be used as an additional dining room for patrons. He noted the stairwell to his right, and walked the space of the second floor, looking over the windows and inspecting the connected kitchenette off to the left. 

“Looks like this place is gonna need all new appliances, as well as some rewiring for the electricity... All the boards over here are gonna need to be replaced; there’s rot beginning to show in the planks... These windows will need a scrubbing and a half but they’re still functional at least, unlike the third floor ones... Definitely, _definitely_ need to get this place seen by an exterminator, either at the very beginning or the very end of renovations, maybe both...”

“Looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Amelie said as she stood at the top of the stairs, startling Gabriel out of his train of thought.

“I, uh, yeah, guess I do,” he said, running a hand through his hair and approaching Amelie. “Only thing left is to check out the third floor. Coming along?”

“I don’t know why you think I wouldn’t,” Amelie said, and the two ascended to the top floor of the building.

The apartment space that opened up before them was rather impressive. The stairs opened up to a wide, airy room with a row of windows lining the far wall. Though the majority of them were broken or covered in dust, what could be made out of the view was breathtaking, looking out at a section of downtown with the river on the right.

“This view is almost as good as the one at your current place, is it not?” Amelie asked, looking to Gabriel, and he nodded. 

“I’d say it’s better. Let’s scope out the rest of the place.”

The main room shared space with an open kitchen, the two formally separated by a half wall, and down the hall was a half bathroom while the end of the hall led to a bedroom connected to a full bathroom and an extra room that looked like it could be used for whatever the user wanted. 

Heading back to the main room and going the opposite direction led into a small laundry room.

“Is this floorplan about the size of your current living space?” Amelie asked as the two stood in the main room once more.

“Yeah, almost a little bigger probably. This place is great, Amelie. It just needs some updating to bring it to the modern day,” Gabriel said, smiling.

“I think you mean a lot of updating, but I know what you mean,” Amelie said. “So, if we headed down to the ground floor now, would you have a response to give to Butch?”

“Amelie, you knew what my answer was going to be the moment I stepped through the threshold. I’m absolutely going to lease or buy or whatever he wants me to do on this place. Coming in here and inspecting everything was really just to give me a better idea on what needed to be done and where.”

“I expected as much,” Amelie nodded, and she gestured to the stairwell. “Well, shall we give our response to Butch then?”

“You bet,” Gabriel said, and the two descended the stairs to the first floor, where Butch had taken up a seat at the bar counter, whistling a tune neither of them recognized while glancing over a small book. 

Butch glanced up at the sound of their footsteps and broke out into a wide grin at the sight.

“Well there, pardner, what’d y’all think about this here building of mine?” he asked.

“It’s wonderful,” Gabriel said, giving an equally wide grin in return. “I’ll take it.”


End file.
